You're Killing Me
by ponster
Summary: "You're not all that special just because Malfoy tells you that you are." - After an arrogant Slytherin plans to get rid of Dumbledore's Army, she becomes Fred Weasley's target and sworn enemy...until their hatred for each other becomes obsessive. Romance, friendship, some angst and mystery. Fred/OC.
1. Through Serpentine Eyes

Chapter 1: Through Serpentine Eyes

_"Don't ever cry," the woman spoke, holding her daughter's small face in her hands. _

_The skies were dark and only illuminated when lightning bolts flashed to show its anger. The girl covered her ears as the thunder rumbled loudly, causing the earth to shake. Her father was a few meters away from her mother and herself, looking down at something that lay in the mud. _

_"We are really dirty," the girl mumbled softly, touching her mother's face and wiping away some of the mud that covered her cheeks. "May we go home and bathe?"_

_"Mimi, listen to me," her mother sounded desperate, heavily gasping for air, "Please do not cry. Do not let them see that you are weak, because you are not. You are a strong little girl, are you not?"_

_"I am not crying, mother," she whined, "I do not like the mud, but it is fun to play with."_

_She sat on the slimy ground, sinking her hands into the dirt and pulling some out to show her mother, "See?"_

_Her mother's expression was beginning to harden, but the sadness was still noticeable in her eyes. The girl smiled at her, throwing the lump of dirt she held right at her. The woman wiped the dirt away from her face and smiled sadly at her daughter, rising to her full stature. She walked towards her husband, hugging him tightly, but her face remained as emotionless as it had always been._

_The girl continued playing with the mud, sticking her hands in, pulling them out, and making a large lump of mud in-between her legs. She raised her eyes slightly when she noticed her parents hugging, and was soon intrigued by something not too far from her. _

_She crawled on the ground, trying to get a better look. Her mother began gasping again as she tried to keep her sanity, while her father just continued to stare at the mud. The girl got closer and closer until she recognized what, or who, was in the mud. _

_"Fuyu is sleeping on the ground, mother," The girl poked her brother's face with her finger before throwing herself on top of him, "Wake up, niichan*…we can play in the mud together."_

_She rested her head on his chest and hugged his body, closing her eyes. When he refused to wake up, she usually pretended to fall asleep on him, but something felt different. His chest was not rising and falling as it usually did, and he felt awfully cold. The girl was picked up by her father, who pulled her closely. His chest was rising and falling too quickly, compared to her brother's. _

_"Niichan is not going to wake up anymore."_

_The girl looked at her father's face before frowning at him. _

_"Do not say that," she angrily glared at him, "he is not as lazy as you say." _

_"Niichan is not alive anymore," her mother whispered into her ear. _

_The girl kicked her father repeatedly until he let her down. She jumped on her brother's body again, hitting him in the chest. She hoped his eyes would blink slowly before he pulled her into a hug. She wanted to see his dizzy smile and have him reach behind his head to pull out a piece of candy, which he always gave her when he woke up. _

_But that didn't happen. _

_Her brother just lay there, with her on top of him. _

_Niichan (Japanese)— an endearing nickname meaning "older brother"_

* * *

Breakfast time at Hogwarts was not as cheery as it usually was, at least not for those who were in the Inquisitorial Squad. Umbridge had reprimanded its few members for the lack of information on the Defense Association meetings. I personally had a few theories, but the doubts I had

notably angered our high inquisitor.

_"I believe this is their schedule, professor," I handed Professor Umbridge the piece of paper I carried around._

_"And you're sure this is when they meet?" She turned to face me, her smile taking up most of her face. I hoped that meant I'd get another cup of tea, considering I was beginning to get thirsty again. _

_"Not exactly. These are the times I see more students roaming the halls. I believe the amount of students out has a direct correlation with the time the Defense Association meets," I pointed at the time slots I had drawn, "You see, they are always out around this time, so I—"_

_"I can't possibly use this if you haven't proven it yet," She practically threw the paper at me, "If anyone has any real evidence that will help us catch the Defense Association in the act, please inform me. Otherwise, I'd like to be left alone for a while."_

I angrily bit my blueberry muffin, took a sip of orange juice and bit the muffin once more. I had a lot of respect for the high inquisitor, the woman who took time out of her ministry work to fix the more trivial matters that existed at Hogwarts. Being reprimanded by someone like her embarrassed me, considering I could not talk back like I normally would.

"Huh, Yuri, I didn't know you'd act so childish over being yelled at," Draco Malfoy's airy laughter filled my ears. I tried to ignore him, but he nudged me a few times before I turned to look at him, "You're really fed up over this, aren't you?"

"Yurika," I corrected, "And I do not like being yelled at by anyone, especially not someone whom I admire," I wrinkled my nose, glancing at the high inquisitor having her own breakfast, reading the_ Daily Prophet_. She had kept an awfully close watch on that thing, attempting to keep more rumors of the Dark Lord's return from spreading.

"That's why I didn't join," Adrian Pucey pet my head, before I slapped his hand away, "Maybe the fact that everyone in the I.S. gives the Slytherin house a bad name might help too."

I scoffed, pushing him away altogether, "That was not necessary."

Adrian opened his mouth to say something, but I simply stuck a slice of toast in his mouth. I knew whatever he was about to say was best left unsaid. I lowered my head and continued to eat, but I couldn't stop thinking about Professor Umbridge.

That is, until I heard roaring laughter coming from the Gryffindor table.

I glanced at the cluster of people surrounding Harry Potter, or as I had dubbed him, the boy who should have died. Everyone seemed rather worried most of the time, but there were those moments when they smiled so much that I envied them.

"Disgusting, aren't they?" Draco sneered, shooting a glare at out smiling peers, "All of them."

I nodded slowly while Adrian rolled his eyes. For some reason, he never joined us when we insulted the Gryffindors. Something about being "too mature" for that, but really, I just think he was not raised like Draco and I.

Then again, my parents were never like that either. Although our families stayed close together, they were both rather different. I stayed at Malfoy Manor quite often as a kid, since Draco was one of my only friends growing up. Our parents would talk about things we were both too young to understand. While this happened, Draco would teach me all the things my parents never told me.

_"They're not like us," Draco's gray eyes lit up with something I couldn't distinguish, "They're dirty, those muggles and mudbloods."_

_"Muggles look just like us, but dress funny," I snickered, "What makes them so different?" _

_"They don't have magic. They weren't given what we are. They're stupid, foolish. They don't know a thing about the real world," the boy rolled his eyes, handing me the book he would read to me before bed._

_"But mudbloods have magic…"_

_"Yet they don't know a thing about magic when they show up to school," Draco scoffed, "My parents told me not to associate myself with them. Won't you join me?" _

_"I suppose," I shrugged, "Now enough about mudbloods. Read me the story!" _

Sometimes, I thought being around Draco had not been the best way to improve my personality, but he definitely kept me from being around the wrong crowd. Although the Gryffindors seemed to be happy and cared for all the time, I was extremely proud of being a Slytherin.

Our house was looked down upon because of people like Draco and I.

_Purebloods._

Draco always made a big fuss about how great it was to be a pureblood. He told me that we were special and that was why he was friends with me. I was not always flattered by the way he treated me simply for being born into the world like that, but sometimes, I liked it.

He also taught me a lot about purebloods he never wanted me to talk to.

_"The Weasleys. You'll know it when you smell them. There are far too many Weasleys at Hogwarts. You can distinguish them by their red hair, freckled faces, and hand-me-down robes," Draco spat. _

_I always enjoyed the passion he had for things, whether it was love or hate. He reminded me of my brother. _

_I listened to him go on and on until a question finally came to my head, "But they are purebloods. Like us."_

_"No! Not like us! Never like us!" _

I never understood these things before I arrived at Hogwarts. Everything slowly fell into place as I met these characters.

They did not have the pride Draco and I had for being purebloods. They were not as dirty as I imagined them, but they were not people I would talk to. I heard people talking about how pureblood Slytherins felt they were too good to talk to anyone, but I felt better being one of those.

I would hate to be classified as them.

Those who brought shame to the purebloods.

* * *

"What are the ingredients to the Draught of Peace?" Professor Snape raised his awfully long nose up in the air. He paced around the room, looking at each and every one of us, his lips twisted into that somewhat emotionless smirk that I had gotten used to seeing over the years.

I raised my hand quickly, but before Professor Snape could pick a student to answer the question, my second least favorite person couldn't contain her excitement and blurted out the answer for all to hear.

"Powdered moonstone, syrup of hellebore, and powdered porcupine quills, sir," Hermione Granger was so confident in her answer, as always, that she smiled right at the professor, which most tried to avoid, "The ingredients are actually quite easy; the hard part is making sure that the potion goes through all the necessary color changes in the exact order, otherwise, the potion is no-good."

"Ten points from Gryffindor," Snape drawled, "Miss Granger, will you ever learn that speaking out of turn is unacceptable in my class? Perhaps serving detention with me when your classes are over will help you remember."

I snorted softly and tried to keep my laughter quiet enough to not gather any attention; I had decided to take another bite out of my hidden blueberry muffin while Snape's attention was on Granger. That's when my least favorite person spoke up.

"Professor Snape," Potter started, looking at me as if I were the potions master, "You're being unfair. Hermione was answering a question and you took ten points from our house. Why don't you take points from Slytherin for eating in class and laughing at another student being reprimanded?"

I chewed on the piece of muffin that was still in my mouth, swallowing rapidly and pretending that I hadn't heard what _the chosen one_ had just said.

"Mister Harry Potter, are you not aware that speaking out of turn is unacceptable in potions class?" I shook my head at him, smirking when his eyes formed an accusing glare, "I am sorry to say that Professor Snape will have to deduct ten more points from Gryffindor."

"Thank you for following the rules, Miss Haneda," Snape's face was still emotionless, but his tone was awfully sarcastic, "I will be seeing you after class as well."

Although I had gotten in partial trouble for mocking Professor Snape, seeing the look on Harry Potter's face was definitely worth it. A pair of blue eyes looked my way as my amusement grew, sitting right on the freckled face of one of the many Weasleys that attended Hogwarts.

"Professor Snape…you forgot to take points from Slytherin," Weasley mumbled softly, seeming too scared to talk to the professor, but still speaking for the sake of his house.

"Why does it matter?" I rolled my eyes, "Potter is probably going to do something extremely stupid by the end of this year, which will be seen as heroic in Dumbledore's eyes, therefore, getting a ridiculous amount of points for Gryffindor. So quit crying about it."

The classroom was quiet and Weasley seemed too shocked to respond. He turned away, whispering to his best friend. I almost felt like throwing something at the two to give them something to talk about.

"Don't sound so jealous," Draco nudged me with his elbow, "That'll give them the satisfaction of thinking they're better than us."

"But they aren't better than us! They annoy me so much; I wish the Dark Lord just showed up and killed them already," I sneered quietly, hoping no one else had heard me say that. Draco's eyes seemed to change colors, a fairly nervous look occupying his face.

"You can't possibly believe he's back already just because Potter said so."

I shrugged before setting up my cauldron and pulling out the instructions to the potion we would brew that day. I knew Draco Malfoy's father was a Death Eater; if anyone knew about the Dark Lord's return, it was him. Draco was not a bad guy, no matter how much he wished to be one, so I tried to keep myself from asking about the Death Eaters.

"I brought the ingredients," Draco said, pushing a few items forward. I took them and began making the potion, almost forgetting that the assignment was teamwork.

Draco did not seem upset that I was not asking him for help; instead, he took that as an opportunity to mess with Potter.

* * *

"Why must you constantly start trouble with the Gryffindors?" Snape directed his eyes towards me once Granger had left. It was already dark outside and I was in a hurry to leave, simply because I liked to roam the halls with Draco and Adrian, scaring those who were out of bed (although Adrian did not agree).

I acted as if I had not heard Professor Snape say anything until his eyes began boring into my soul, "I was simply reiterating the rules that must be followed in your classroom. After all, it is my duty as a member of the Inquisitorial Squad to ensure order and—"

"Enough," Snape shook his head, holding his hand not too far away from my face. "I do not believe that you should be a part of this group. Nor do I believe that you are using the powers that were given to you for good. I am sure you are aware of that."

I huffed, rolling my eyes at the professor, "Must you always bring up this nonsense? I feel that I am doing good. I am helping the ministry and showing my loyalty to those who deserve it."

"Could it be that you are just doing this because you hate Potter?"

"I have told you time and time again that I do not do it because of him. I do not ever do anything because of him," I hissed, "Could it be that you just really hate Professor Umbridge for taking your spot as Hogwarts' defense against the dark arts teacher?"

I turned around and walked out of the office, knowing that the conversation was not over yet. I felt extremely guilty for hurting one of my favorite people, but he sometimes angered me. Especially when he brought _him_ up. It seemed that he always wanted to make me feel like he understood.

I did not want anyone to understand me. I just wanted to be left alone.

Although, I did prefer it on some other occasion.

The corridor seemed darker than usual. I knew the reason why, too. The D.A. was meeting that night, which I had taken note of for the past few weeks. I had not been able to track down their location, but I noticed that too many students were out of bed on certain days, which led me to think that they were all part of said group.

I continued to walk forward, very quietly to avoid being spotted. It seemed to be working. I was kind of scared of what would happen if someone did see me; I normally only went out with someone else. I was completely alone.

"Curse you, Snape," I muttered under my breath. It was his fault that I had not been able to meet up with Draco beforehand.

My right ear detected movement, which made me punch the air to my right. That is all it was: air. I was reacting without thinking first; that was never a good sign. Perhaps it was because I was nervous, but I was not sure. All I knew was that I wanted to leave as quickly as I could.

I did not care if I did not catch anyone sneaking out that night. I did not even care if I was close to catching Harry Potter trying to get to his little meeting room. All I knew was that I wanted to run.

I had never realized how terrified of the dark I was.

I began running down the corridors, not looking back. Perhaps if I ran fast enough, whoever was there would not notice me, nor care that I had heard them while they were on their way to cause trouble.

The sensation of being chased came over me as I ran faster and faster, until it completely stopped.

As did I.

I took deep breaths and put my hands on my knees, trying to keep myself from collapsing. I felt a little better after running. I had gotten rid of whoever would harm me.

Or so I thought.

As my breaths slowed down, I felt a hand clasping on my mouth. That surprised me enough to make me breathe deeper once more. I tried to call for help, but was unable. All I heard were whiny noises, which were surely meant to be my muffled screams.

I quickly moved my hands up, trying to pull the hand that was covering my mouth away, when I noticed that my waist was also being held firmly in place. What the hell was going on?!

"Shhh…"

That noise made me struggle further. I was absolutely panicking, but was still not able to move at all.

"I'm not going to hurt you, just calm down!" The voice seemed rather unfamiliar to me, but the words seemed kind of reassuring.

I was spun around, but not released. The moonlight was coming in from the window, which it had not been doing before. I was somewhat able to see the blue eyes and red hair that were in front of me. For a moment, I thought it was Weasley, but as my vision cleared after a few seconds, I realized I had been thinking about the wrong Weasley.

"Hello, would you like a piece of candy?"

A what?

I continued to try and pull the hand away, but I didn't need to. The boy pulled his hand away and began laughing. Yes, laughing.

"I do not understand what is so funny," a blank expression covered my face. I was no longer worried; I was more annoyed, if anything. I was also confused.

"Your face! You were terrified, weren't you?" The boy asked, still laughing. "I just wanted to give you a piece of candy," he grinned, raising a round and green piece of candy between his fingers.

That looked all too familiar. I had seen a jar of those inside Umbridge's office, stored away with many other items that had been confiscated recently. There had to be a reason why Umbridge had taken those up, so I turned them down.

"I am fine without your candy, you filthy boy," I rolled my eyes. "Identify yourself."

"I can't quite follow your orders because you'll got and rat me out to your so-called high inquisitor," he continued to smile, which then led me to think he was insane, "I just need you to keep your friends away."

"You are a Weasley. Either you tell me, or I can get both you and your twin in trouble for being out late, heading to a D.A. meeting. I do not know which of the two you are, but I will make sure you pay for frightening me," I sneered. "Also, just in case your powers of observation fail you, I am alone."

"That's true, but you're not always alone," he shook his head.

That was creepy, "You have been spying on me?"

"Not just you, of course. You're not all that special just because Malfoy tells you that you are. I've been spying on everyone. We're doing something good and you Slytherins are endangering that."

He seemed genuinely worried, which made me pay more attention. I had been doing the right thing, but according to him, he had been doing the right thing. I did not know what to do, so I just shut my eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"I am just going to wait for you to leave me alone. You are not dangerous, are you? So I trust that you will just leave."

There was no sound or movement for a moment. Soon, I took a deep breath and began dusting off my clothes, trying to get the Weasley germs away from me. It seemed that he had decided to leave, and I opened my eyes. He was still there; his arms crossed and that same stupid grin on his face.

"I'm not going until you promise to stay away. That's a warning."

"I am not staying away."

"I guess that means you'll be seeing more of me very often."

"Fred?" I heard another voice calling in the darkness, "Fred, we were supposed to—"

Fred tapped me on the shoulder and turned to look at his twin.

"I just had some business to take care of, is all," Fred walked towards his brother, whom I wanted to follow, but could not.

My shoes were stuck to the floor.

Literally.


	2. Notes and Nightmares

Chapter 2: Notes and Nightmares

_It was still dark. _

_It was still quiet. _

_I was still alone. _

_Much time had passed by since Weasley left me, and many spells had been attempted in order to free my shoes. Apparently, Weasley was a lot smarter than he looked. I could not slip off my shoes no matter how hard I tried, and if I struggled, the shoes got tighter. I was smart and figured his trick out fairly quickly, so I was not in too much pain. _

_However, I was bored. _

_Not only was I bored, but I was a furious. _

_Weasley did not think about what would go through my mind when I had so much time to explore his cause of death in the future, and he did not know that I would not let myself be humiliated without humiliating someone back. _

_The only thing I knew was that I would be the one to kill Fred Weasley. _

_Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday. _

_The last statement he directed towards me indicated that he would play more pranks on me, which I did not doubt. If I was already planning his murder, I could not imagine how I would react when he tried delivered the rest of his jokes at my doorstep. _

_My anger issues, although well-hidden, were still there. _

_And they guaranteed that I would have my revenge. _

_"I guess that means you'll be seeing more of me very often."_

_I was not sure whether I was imagining his voice, or if he was actually there._

_"You already said that," I answered cautiously as I wondered if he would continue to talk. _

_"You've gone mental, haven't you?" he teased, "Just standing there, wallowing in your hatred towards me." _

_So he really was there. _

_"Undo your trick, I have to go to bed and I really am not enjoying how much I am thinking about you." I muttered, pointing at the floor as if he would see it._

_"That's troublesome, ain't it?" He laughed. "Or maybe I could just let you stand there 'til morning. I do enjoy the fact that you're thinking about me."_

_"I would not consider that a good thing if I were you." _

_"Which you aren't, so have fun standing for a few more hours." _

_I heard him walking around me, but I did not want to let him leave so easily. I was not about to stand there until everyone in school saw me unable to save myself from a prank created by a Weasley. _

_I took his wrist and squeezed it as tightly as I could in order to keep him from escaping. _

_"Undo your trick!"_

_That is when something weird happened. _

_I did not feel a bone in his wrist all of the sudden, and when I looked down at it, I saw blood. Not only that, but his wrist was detached from his arm. I tried to let go of the wrist, but my fingers were stuck to that as well. _

_It just kept bleeding. It was everywhere! _

_There was a pool of blood on the floor, my shoes were soaked in it and I was pretty sure I had gotten stains all over my uniform. I looked up at Weasley in horror, and he kept laughing. _

_His laughter was painful._

_Literally painful. _

_It was loud, and sounded like a howl and a screech combined. _

_As he laughed, my ears could not handle such high frequencies and eventually, they popped. _

_I could not hear, I could not move, and I could not use my hands for anything. The only thing I could do was look at him. He was crazy, terrifying, and the only person who could currently help me. _

_"Have fun." _

_"Weasley...Weasley, come back! Please! Weasley!"_

* * *

"Weasley, Weasley, Weasley!" an annoying voice mocked me from the bed that was next to mine.

I opened my eyes and found that I had indeed been dreaming, I had not stayed in the corridor all night with Weasley's bloody hand stuck to mine, and that Pansy Parkinson had a scowl on her face that would give Professor Snape a run for his money.

"Good morning." I feigned a smile before pulling my blankets over my head. Sure, I was happy about not being in a nightmare, but I was not in the mood to deal with the likes of Pancake-faced Parkinson.

"It's bad enough that you came in so late last night and woke me up with all your muttering, but now you've disturbed my sleep yet again with your crying over Weasley!"

"You will get over it, I am sure." I turned to face the other way in order to cut the conversation short.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, you stupid girl!" she scoffed, but that did not make me turn around either.

Pansy Parkinson, or as I always called her, Pancake, was a disgusting girl whom I had the displeasure of meeting. She was not the tallest, not the skinniest, not the prettiest, not the smartest, but she was definitely the most annoying girl in our year. She always wore make up that made her look even more pancake-faced, her hair was greasier than Professor Snape's, and her lips were always twisted in a smirk just like Draco's although she looked much less attractive making that face than he did.

And meeting her was just as unpleasant as she was.

_"Draco? The Draco Malfoy?"_

_"What other Draco Malfoy is there?" I stopped putting away my things to look at her with genuine curiosity. _

_"There is only one Draco Malfoy, and I'm determined to marry him." Pansy sighed, taking a huge bite from something that looked similar to a sandwich, but smelled more like feet. _

_"Wait until he hears that when he comes back from the restroom." I snorted, sitting down and making some space for Draco to sit. _

_"He's going to sit here? With me?" _

_"Actually, he is going to sit with me. I have known him since I was born, and he is my best friend." I said, flipping my hair slightly just to get on her nerves. "Sorry to break it to you."_

_"You're not much to look at. Trust me, by the end of this year, I'll have him wrapped around my finger." _

And many years later, she still could not get him to look at her. That is how I liked things.

"Hey, are you listening to me?" Pancake pulled on her long socks and fell over in the process. "You said you were going to see Professor Snape before breakfast."

"I did."

I got up from my bed and got dressed quickly with the hopes of talking to Professor Snape before my eggs and bacon were served. There was nothing I enjoyed more than breakfast and the fact that I did not have dinner the night before motivated me to get ready even though I lacked the energy.

I picked up my books and sped down the stairs to the common room, only to hear Adrian laughing.

"Did you forget to brush your hair this morning?!" He dropped the book he was reading for class, pointing at the ball of hair that sat on top of my head.

And that, I did.

* * *

After sacrificing a few innocent animals in the name of hair, I managed to make peace with the curly, brown, and not entirely Japanese-like mess that grew out of my head. As soon as I finished, I practically ran to the Great Hall and noticed the smell of food in the corridor right before breakfast started. I was, in fact, later than I wish I had been.

I went inside, sat down where I usually did and immediately glanced at the professors' table. Professor Snape was not at breakfast yet, but I knew he would be coming inside soon. In the meantime, I began to eat so quickly that I thought I would accidentally eat the plate as well.

I was so preoccupied with my meal that I did not notice the obvious. I began to wash down my breakfast with juice and decided to glance at the Gryffindor table to see if the boy I would be humiliating soon was already at the table. He most definitely was, but not only was he at the table, he was looking right at me.

"Ms. Haneda."

My view of the boy was blocked by the dark, billowing robes of Professor Snape that had just stood in front of me.

"Professor?" I replied.

I had wanted to talk to him, but I did not know what to say, so I left the talking to the adult.

"I trust you slept well." He muttered, but I knew what he really wanted to hear.

"I did. Thanks to you." I looked down at my empty plate. "I owe you both a sign of gratitude and an apology. Thank you for helping me undo the trick I accidentally set upon myself, and I am sorry for what I told you before I left detention."

He pursed his lips, turned around and headed for his seat. I did not expect him to answer me, but I just wanted him to hear what I wanted to say. Although it was the difficult thing to do, I had to do it anyway. That was the Haneda way, even if I was raised more like a Malfoy.

Speaking of Malfoy, I was surprised he had not come to breakfast yet.

Speaking of breakfast, I realized I had forgotten all about Weasley for a moment.

I looked at the Gryffindor table once more and found that Weasley was not looking at me anymore. At least not when I looked over there. The moment I set my eyes on him, he looked my way. I felt as if I was being challenged, and I knew I probably was.

Only, this time, I was not as scared as I had been during my nightmare.

This time, I challenged him back.

* * *

"You are actually not as stupid as I thought you were. That must have been because of all the extra tutoring I gave you," I smiled proudly, stroking my chin as I examined Goyle's homework before Professor McGonagall entered the classroom.

"You mean all those times you made me do your homework and threatened to tell Draco if I didn't?" Goyle frowned, snatching his homework back and setting it on the table.

"Affirmative. You learned, though. Did you not?" I asked, pointing at the assignment. Goyle nodded, still frowning like a child, "Good. That means Crabbe can do my homework for the next few months."

"What makes you think I want to do it?" Crabbe protested quietly as he looked around for Draco, who had not entered class just yet.

"Draco and I are very busy with important issues regarding Dumbledore's Army. It is an honor to do my homework while I try to get rid of evildoers at this school." I smirked, taking the copy of Goyle's homework that the boy had brought for me.

"Yes…an honor," Crabbe mumbled, sounding like he was in a dream.

"How come these idiots never do homework for me?" Pansy turned around, glaring at the piece of parchment in front of Yurika.

"You are not as important to the Inquisitorial Squad as I am, it seems."

Before Pansy could respond, Professor McGonagall stepped into the classroom, causing everyone to get quiet and ready for class. I sent a sneer Pansy's way before I pulled out my textbook and turned to the chapter the class was on.

"Where's Draco?" Goyle whispered, looking at the doors of the classroom, expecting Draco to burst in any second.

"Where, I wonder…"

* * *

I walked out of McGonagall's classroom faster than I thought I would and looked around for Draco. I was fairly worried not only because he rarely skipped classes, but because he had not even told me about whatever he had in mind earlier.

"I didn't know you'd be this worried."

"Where were you? And why did you not ask me to join?" I glared at him, not surprised to find that he had been waiting for me outside of class.

"I didn't see you earlier…and I was at the library," Draco smiled, holding up a few notes, "we have to go talk to Professor Umbridge before her next class starts.

"You did not tell me and you expect me to be late to my next class," I frowned. Although I was feeling a little bothered, I was fairly intrigued with whatever Draco had found. It was obviously important.

"I guess if you don't want to see what I found, then you can go ahead and learn about animals from an animal."

Draco began to walk away and I took it as a sign to follow him. He looked back at me and slowed down so I could catch up. There were many people speeding past us and I realized class was about to begin, but even so, I would rather interrupt a class than go to my own.

"I guess we can hang out in the hallway for a bit before we tell her about…what exactly are we telling her?" I asked, my eyes darting to Draco's notes.

Draco looked around and lowered his voice slightly, "have you heard of the Room of Requirement?"

"I have not," I shook my head.

"It is a room that appears only when it is truly needed. I already knew about it, but thought I'd do some more research."

"And what have you found?"

"The only way to get into the room will be if we follow one of the members in. At least the only way I know of," he shrugged, relaxing his shoulders a bit because the corridor was empty again.

"Ah, it seems I will be getting my revenge sooner than I thought," I grinned, "Hear that Weasley?! I will end your friend's little club!"

"I doubt that," said a voice that was not Draco's.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the delay, but here is chapter two! Enjoy and please let me know what you think!


	3. Red

Chapter 3: Red

_Red splattered everywhere, and I could not see anything other than said color. My eyelids felt like they stuck together for a moment before I managed to open them. My vision cleared and I looked for Draco. It took me a while to register where he was because his hair had been painted bright red. It also took me a while to register that mine was red as well. _

_It all felt like it happened too slowly. _

_So slowly that I had not realized that I was still standing in the hallway, the dye dripping from the ends of my skirt as I balled my hands into fists. _

"Fred Weasley!"

He laughed, a group of students who seemed to be in on the joke laughing behind him as well. He high-fived his twin, turned to high-five a few students before he realized that my fist was aiming for his face.

And so, before he even noticed my reaction, he was on the ground, a red imprint of my knuckle on the side of his cheek.

The laughter stopped and his twin scattered to the floor before he took his brother's arm and helped him get on his feet. Fred Weasley stood up and wiped blood from the corner of his mouth. That's when I realized how angry I was.

I shook in my spot as emotions rushed through every crack and crevice of my being. My lips were pressed into a thin line that would have looked white if I did not have dye on my face as well. My breathing was heavy although no amount of oxygen in the world could make me feel like my lungs were full.

* * *

Never had I been so humiliated before in my life. It was one thing to leave me alone in a hallway where no one could see me, but it was another to play a joke on me in front of a group of students who were supposed to respect me.

"That's enough, Yuri…"

Draco tugged on my wrist, which was rather unexpected. He was usually the one egging me on to do something, but it was obvious that I was furious. I could not measure my strength at the moment, and anything I did would get me expelled.

I moved a few steps back and looked at the boy in front of me one more time. I was not sure what to make of his reaction. He did not seem to be reacting much at all either. He was biting his bottom lip to keep more blood from spilling from his mouth, a hand against the side of his cheek as well. And his eyes…they were very indescribable. I almost feel bad for hitting him, but I could not do that.

"Yuri…"

This time, my name came from Weasley's mouth. It was almost whispered, and the way he said it made it look like I had done something amazing.

I backed away some more before I got the courage to fully turn around.

And I ran.

I ran further away than I ever had.

* * *

_"Here's a snack mother packed for us," Draco handed me a bag with freshly cut fruit that was almost too hard for me to eat because I had lost some teeth recently. I shrugged and took the bag before I opened it and pulled out a squishy banana wheel, one of the only fruits that looked soft and easy to chew._

_"You can take mine, too," Draco pulled out some of his own banana wheels and tossed them in my bag. He also took some of my apple cubes to keep me from hurting myself. _

_I nibbled on a new banana wheel and mumbled a thank you. _

_"Don't you two look adorable?" A tall girl stood in front of us, a hand on her hip and her face bent over our heads, "I bet you two are betrothed." _

_"It is much too early to be thinking about that, don't you think?" A six-year-old Draco said as he bit his small cubed apple._

_" Oh, right. Besides, why would you, Draco Malfoy, want to marry someone who isn't even from here!" She snorted, which I thought was an excuse to suck her icky boogers back into her nose. _

_"Actually, I was born in London," I replied, not looking up at her. I was not as opinionated and defensive back then. _

_"Doesn't matter. You'll never be like us," she twirled her finger around her blonde curls. They did not look that different from mine other than the color, "And you, Draco! Why are you hanging out with someone like her?" _

_"It might be because she's friendly," Draco snorted, "but then again, it's probably because we ARE betrothed."_

_"That's disgusting!" The girl glared, moving away from us, "You're disgusting! Have fun sharing cooties!"She pointed at my hand inside Draco's fruit bag, which searched for another banana wheel. She then ran off to play with a group of girls not too far away from us. _

_"She digs me, Alida does," Draco smirked, watching the girl's frilly skirt flop around as she ran. _

_I giggled a bit and turned to face him, "She was not being very kind to you." _

_"That's what a girl does when she likes a guy," he explained, still watching her, "she tries to make it seem impossible that she likes him, but she does." _

_The girl turned around to glance at Draco and her face flushed before she continued running._

_"You see that?" _

_"I did." _

But I did not agree with that conversation now.

Did I have to be a certain degree of mean to Fred Weasley to prove I did not like him, but I really did? I hated him, but as I sat in front of the lake, I began to question Draco's young logic. He never said things unless they were true, at least not to me.

Maybe that was why Fred Weasley seemed so surprised with me.

Maybe he thought I had a crush on him.

I glared at my reflection in the lake, which was not as bad as it had been before. I managed to wash away most of the dye on my face with a mixture of angry tears and handfuls of water. My hair was still red, and so were my clothes, but I did not care very much for them yet. I was trying to sort myself out.

Had I been so pitiful that Fred Weasley did not dare to say anything?

Was he watching me because he felt bad that I could not even handle two of his pranks without throwing a tantrum?

I sighed.

Yeah.

I had challenged him. Twice. Once in the corridor, and another in the Great Hall. Of course he was going to go after me. I had to take my punishment like a man.

Or woman.

"Hey."

I turned my body around on the rock I was sitting on to find the source of the voice. Of course, the voice came from Fred Weasley.

He was no longer holding on to his cheek, but there was a purple bruise forming around the red stamp I pressed on his face about an hour and a half earlier. His lips formed a crooked smile that made me confused, but I did not question him. I just waited for him to say something.

"You know, you'd look good with red hair."

That was it?

Where was the meaningful apology?

Where was the begging for forgiveness on his knees?

I did not know why I expected that, maybe because I heard Gryffindors were rather brave and would do romantic things like that. I thought it would be fun to humiliate him back, even if it was just the two of us.

"Aren't ya gonna say something?" He chuckled, sitting down on a rock next to mine.

"Like what?"

He smiled at the sound of my voice, "Maybe, I don't know, 'I'm sorry for bruising your face?'"

That made me smile. ME.

"You do not know me very well, Fred Weasley," I turned away slightly, "A Malfoy never asks for forgiveness."

"You're not a Malfoy, and I saw you asking Professor Snape to forgive you earlier. You're a Malfoy when you want to be and whatever-your-last-name-is on other occasions," Fred shook his head.

"Draco's mum told me I'm welcome to be a Malfoy whenever I want, so I take advantage of that," I grinned.

Silence.

"Isn't that another way of asking you to marry Draco?" He mumbled.

More silence.

I did not want to answer. Although Draco and I had viewed each other as siblings for many years, his mother had the crazy idea that I would marry her son. I think she just wanted to keep the bloodline pure, but knowing Draco, I was sure he would do that on his own. Even without me.

Until recently, Narcissa Malfoy had always asked me to think about marrying Draco right after school ended. I had a feeling she lost interest in me after she realized Draco had many gorgeous and not-so-gorgeous purebloods who would kill to marry him. At least that is what I thought.

"I am not going to marry my brother-like friend and we are not having this conversation!" I glared at him and crossed my arms over my chest, "First, you leave me in the corridor, vulnerable and unable to move; Next, you smirk at me in the Great Hall and try to intimidate me; Later, you pull a prank on me and humiliate me in front of a group of losers; And oh, do not forget the last part! You have the nerve to come out here and demand an apology!"

"So, no apology?"

"Of course not!" I scoffed.

More silence.

A very weird, comfortable silence.

That is, before I heard him laugh.

I faced him once more as I tried to figure out why he was laughing. I could not do so, but I continued to stare at him.

Even with the large bruise forming on his cheek, Fred Weasley looked happy. He looked so free, as if there was nothing to worry about even though his dad worked in a repulsive area of the ministry (who would want to know more about muggles and their strange trinkets?), his mother had more children than she could afford and most of his things were made by his mother, or hand-me-downs. Who could be happy living like that?

"You really would look nice with red hair," he said once more, looking at my hair with a certain sense of admiration, which was odd because it was sticky and soggy with water.

"You were blessed with it. I do not think I will ever dye my hair red simply to please you, Weasley," I retorted.

"I guess not," he shrugged, "We should probably get you cleaned up, eh?"

"I do not want to."

I took a deep breath and looked at the muddy ground. It would probably be hard to explain that I relaxed when I was dirty, but then I realized I did not owe him an explanation. I slid off my rock in one quick movement and stuck my fingers in the ground much like I had always liked to do.

I did nothing more, but sat there and felt the squishy dirt with my fingers.

I then heard a dull splat.

And the boy next to me was doing the same thing I was doing.

"What are we doing?" He asked, watching me as if I was a professor of some sort.

Why was he trying to be nice to me? Did he actually care about how angry I had gotten at him?

"I do not like you, Fred Weasley," I muttered.

And he did not say anything back.

* * *

A/N: A slightly odd chapter, which I enjoyed. Very emotional and cute at the same time. Let me know what you think about Fred and Yurika's first real interaction! c:


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